


Distance

by shapinguptobeprettyood



Category: RWBY
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Anxiety, F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2018-03-16 09:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3482723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shapinguptobeprettyood/pseuds/shapinguptobeprettyood
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The summer had been rough for Blake, no matter what she said to anyone else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Distance

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be smut, but it changed direction in my head. thanks to the babe for beta-ing, I love hearing you wail about my headcanons

If Blake was asked what her favorite part of the summer was, she would say the peace and quiet of the team RWBY dorm. But in reality she didn't enjoy it. She missed hearing Yang snore and Weiss talk in her sleep and she even missed that dog. Plus she had already gone through the list of books Ruby gave her on the last day of the term. So she was bored. And lonely.

It wasn't like she was stuck at Beacon with nowhere else to go. Weiss had begged her to come back to the Schnee estates with her, but Blake knew that was a terrible idea. An ex-White Fang member spending the summer with the Schnees? No. Sun had told her she could stay with him in Mistral but she couldn't bring herself to say yes, despite the fact she did want to meet Sage and Scarlet. And then there was Yang.

Ruby had been the one to offer, but Yang had given her the same imploring look she had used to get Blake to the dance. Ruby had been babbling while Yang just looked into her eyes with a hopeful smile.

It hurt, but she turned that down too. She didn't want to start anything; she was supposed to be focused on what the White Fang was doing and she would never do that if she was free to spend every waking moment with her partner. The look in Yang's eyes when she refused almost made her change her mind.

But this was the last day of summer. Everyone would be back tonight, and she wouldn't be alone anymore.

~

She woke up to the sounds of Weiss unpacking. Honestly, she hadn't even remembered falling asleep, she just remembered rereading the lone book Yang recommended. Which was nowhere to be found.

"Your book is on the desk," Weiss said briskly. "I didn't want it to get damaged, but I made sure I marked your place."

"Thank you." Her voice was hoarse from sleep and her mouth felt funny. "I'm glad to see you."

Weiss smiled and dropped the articles of clothing she was taking from her suitcase. "Of course you are!" She engulfed Blake in a tight hug. "Don't tell Ruby I did that. I'll never hear the end of it."

"Don't worry, I won't. Are they back yet?"

Releasing her and going back to unpacking, Weiss said, "I think I saw Yang's motorcycle earlier but I haven't seen them yet. And apparently it would kill them to send either of us a message. If you'd like we can go look for them."

Blake rose and stretched her stiff limbs. "Finish unpacking, I'll bring them back."

~

It was pleasantly warm outside, but Blake still pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail; if she put it up too tightly it would displace her ribbon and pull on her ears. But she got lucky and put it up right the first time.

It wasn't hard to spot the sisters. Blake could see Yang from miles away with that mane of gold.

"Yang!" she shouted. Ruby spotted her, but Yang was busy unloading their belongings from a beat up looking sidecar. Blake's heart was beating a thousand miles per hour as she trudged towards the waving girl.

_"Blake!!_ " Ruby was squealing as she shot towards Blake with her super speed, tackling the older girl to the ground and hugging her fiercely. "I'm so glad to see yooouuu!"

"Hi, Ruby." Blake couldn't help but smile at her teammate.

As they got back upright and Blake wiped the dirt from her leggings, she could feel Yang's eyes on her from the distance. Ruby must have noticed too, because she rushed back to the sidecar, grabbed her belongings and disappeared in a trail of petals up towards the school.

"You didn't even call me. You never answered." Yang was angry. Her tone was accusatory but Blake knew she deserved it.

"I know."

"Not _once_!"

"I'm sorry."

The taller girl stormed over to glare down at Blake. The fact that she was wearing sneakers instead of her heels didn't help her height either.

"Sorry isn't good enough anymore. I was so damn worried, Blake!" She took a menacing step forward. "I thought you had done something stupid and gotten yourself hurt, or that you got depressed again and I just wanted to make you feel better. You scared me!"

She studied the bricks at her feet. "I'm okay, Yang. I just missed you so much." Realizing what she had said, she quickly amended, "All of you."

The look in her partner's eyes softened, and she darted forward to pull Blake into a warm embrace. "I wish you had stayed with me."

"Me too," Blake confessed quietly.

~

"YANG!"

Blake shot upright, grazing her ears against the top bunk. She was so clammy and she felt sick. She threw the covers back off of her just as a voice came from above her.

"Blake? S'wrong?" The bunk creaked as she climbed down.

Blake let out a strangled whimper, pulling at the ears on top of her head. God, she was going to be sick. She couldn't breathe.

Yang thumped down beside her, quickly prying her clawing hands away from her ears. "Blake, its okay! I'm right here."

Still wordlessly, she pulled at the other girls arms until Yang was completely on the bed, and then she launched herself into Yang's lap as the tears fell freely down her cheeks. She had to make sure it was real. That Yang was real.

"Blake, baby, we're going to lie down and cover up, okay? I want you to inhale for four seconds, and then exhale for seven."

Numbly, the faunus followed directions. She still had a one handed vice grip around Yang's ribcage, and she wasn't sure she could let go anymore. She was vaguely aware of her nightgown up around her hips, but Yang was dragging the plush blanket over their bodies anyways. Shivering, she pushed her legs against Yang's much warmer ones. Her breath was still ragged and tears were still flowing, but now they were dripping onto her partner's collarbone. What was wrong with her? Her nightmares hadn't bothered her for weeks, and now her worst one had decided to return with vengeance. It was horrible. The first time she had the dream she'd lost an entire night's worth of sleep. But as it recurred it brought with it panic attacks, gut wrenching sobbing, and distorted perception of her surroundings. And now she was screaming out for her partner before regaining consciousness.

Yang's hand was running down the back of Blake's head, over her flattened, quivering ears and down to the base of her neck. It was soothing, especially in junction with the warmth emanating from Yang's skin. Blake soon found herself drowsy again, and shoved her face against the other girl's neck before finally falling back asleep.

~

Yang's first thought the next morning was, _this is not my bed_. The second was _Blake_.

Where the hell was she? She had to understand that Yang needed confirmation that she was going to be okay, at the very least.

Quickly and quietly, she grabbed some ratty old training sweatpants and an even older Signal hoodie. There was only one place Blake was likely to be at five in the morning. Yanking on her sneakers, she set out at a light jog for the training facility.

~

She found Blake in the middle of a projected battle sequence and she could tell by the wavering, angry shouts that Blake was still crying. The projection stopped when a simulated bullet traveled straight through Blake's head. She attempted to throw down her weapons in frustration, but those weren't real either.

"Blake?" Yang's voice was soft.

The faunus quickly wiped her face. "I'm sorry for last night. You didn't have to do that."

She walked slowly forward. "Yeah I did. You're my partner, Blake. I'm here for you. However you need me." _I want you to need me. I need you._

"I need to learn how to deal with that myself. I'm not always going to have someone there at the drop of a hat."

Yang was taken aback. "I'll always be here, Blake," she whispered.

"You may say that, but you won't! You don't want to stick around with me after graduation. I push people away and I should be focused on the mission in front of me."

"I'm your partner! You can't get rid of me, I'll never let you do this on your own. I couldn't stand it."

Blake still looked furious and sad. "Why? What's so special about me? I'm just a faunus who doesn't fit in anywhere anymore. I'm responsible for people dying, Yang, people who didn't do anything wrong. Nobody else here can say that. What are you trying to convince me of?"

"That you're worth my time! Blake, I know you don't want to hear it because you think it'll get in the way of the mission, but I need you. I need you so badly. I don't care about your past. You are a good person, someone I want in my life. Please." She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. "I don't ever want to think about losing you."

Blake was silent, her amber eyes boring into purple ones. Her expression was impossible to read. Finally, she said, "Go back to bed, Yang. I'm going to go shower."

Yang still saw the tears spill over the faunus' cheeks as she turned away.

~

Ruby and Weiss were still unconscious by the time Yang arrived back at the dorm. Stripping off the outer layer of clothing, she quickly clambered back into her own bed despite how tempted she was to curl back up in Blake's bed. She was pretty sure that would be very unwelcome. Punching her pillow into shape, she folded herself into a tight ball and thought about what had just happened. That was one of her deepest confessions.

She fell back asleep with the sting of rejection fresh in her mind and the stain of tears dripping to her pillow.

~

It was painfully obvious that Yang had been crying. She was asleep, which was surprising.

Oh no. She must have thought that Blake was dismissing her feelings.

_Dammit. I can't believe I did that._

Making a split decision and repressing her logical side, she changed back into her nightgown and climbed the end of the bed and settled next to the warmer girl. She made sure her damp hair was all thrown behind her and the blankets adequately covered them both, then snaked her arm over Yang's waist and pressed her forehead against the unruly mane of gold.

That's when she knew what truly mattered. Where she belonged.

Here, skin pressed against her partner's.

 


End file.
